A MAN has been told he could receive a prison sentence for stealing more than £30,000 from his elderly grandmother.
Andrew Christopher Penney, 28, appeared at Carlisle Crown Court earlier today (TUES) over a Skype video link with new remote working arrangements having been brought in for defendants and lawyers as criminal cases continue at the Earl Street building amid the coronavirus crisis.
During a short hearing, Penney admitted the theft of £30,799 from his grandmother, Winifred Cleveland, between February 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018.
At an earlier magistrates’ court hearing, Penney had admitted a separate offence of fraud by false representation having applied for a £10,000 loan in his grandmother’s name.
Mrs Cleveland, who was aged in her late 90s, has since died, it was stated.
Marion Weir, defending, told the court Penney accepted his offending on the full facts of the prosecution case against him. Ms Weir said a pre-sentence report prepared by the probation service was a “helpful, useful and insightful” document.
Judge Nicholas Barker adjourned the case until June 4, when Penney, of Ballad Close, Cockermouth, is due to receive his punishment at the crown court for the two crimes.
“It is simply inappropriate to proceed to sentence today,” Judge Barker told Penney, who is on unconditional bail.
“All (sentencing) options are distinctly open and include custody as well as a suspended sentence and the like. It simply hasn’t been considered.”
